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U.S. News & World Report ranks St. Bonaventure as fifth-best value in North

Sep 11, 2013 | St. Bonaventure University has been ranked No. 5 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 list of best college values in the North.

The ranking is St. Bonaventure’s highest ever on U.S. News’ “Great Schools at Great Prices” list.

The magazine determined the value ranking using three figures: ratio of academic quality to price, need-based aid and average discount. At St. Bonaventure, 75.6 percent of students receive some form of need-based grant. The average annual cost of attendance after receiving grants based on need is $22,224.

“At a time when colleges are coming under a lot of scrutiny nationally, it’s reassuring to know that we’re still considered such a great value,” said Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president. “People often become fixated on the literal bottom line without considering how generous our scholarship and aid packages are.”

Prospective students can calculate their scholarship eligibility at www.sbu.edu/finaid.

“I think the fact that 95 percent of our students are either employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation speaks volumes about our value,” Sr. Margaret said.

St. Bonaventure also ranked No. 33 out of 182 institutions on the magazine’s Best Regional Universities in the North list, which includes colleges that also offer a full range of master’s degree programs.

Ann Lehman, St. Bonaventure’s director of institutional research, said the rankings this year include an important addition.

“They’ve added to the regional rankings the predicted graduation rate, which is based upon the incoming qualifications of our students, basically SAT/ACT scores and class rank,” Lehman said. “The rankings show our students perform better than predicted. This is a data-based confirmation of our brand promise — that our students are becoming extraordinary.”

The magazine’s annual rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” were released this morning. Complete rankings of nearly 1,600 schools nationwide are available at www.usnews.com/colleges. They will also be published in this month’s issue of U.S. News & World Report, on newsstands starting today.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.